How to Design a Responsive Website
Professional web designers need to create websites that look good and function well on a variety of devices and screen sizes. At first, this can seem complicated.
With responsive design, website content (e.g., text, images, videos, and more) adjusts depending on the visitor’s screen size and device to ensure readability, usability, and overall user experience. Squarespace's built-in responsive design makes it possible to build websites that look great on any device without having to worry about writing additional code or manually adjusting content to fit various widths and devices.
Fluid Engine, Squarespace’s drag-and-drop editor, supports you (and saves you time) as you create layouts that function on every device.
Understanding responsive design
Responsive design is a website development that automatically adjusts content to fit any screen size, device, and orientation. It offers an optimal user experience, regardless of whether visitors access a website on a desktop computer, smartphone, or tablet.
Squarespace's world-class responsive design capabilities are a developer’s dream. Every website built on the platform is responsive by default, meaning your designs adapt to all devices.
If you’re new to responsive websites, here are a few things to keep in mind:
Responsive web design is all about usability. This means that visitors should be able to read, navigate, and engage with content, regardless if they are viewing a website on a desktop computer, tablet, or mobile device.
Squarespace sites automatically adjust to screen parameters—this is what makes them responsive. Whether the website opens on a desktop browser, a tablet, or a mobile device, it automatically shows the corresponding layout based on breakpoints.
Breakpoints are the points at which a website's layout changes to accommodate different screen sizes. To accomplish this, Squarespace developers have written code for different breakpoints to resize the content so you don’t have to.
Content should be brief and concise so users can read and understand it on any device.
The good news? Most of this is built-in, meaning you don’t have to write a single line of code to make a website functional on all devices. Squarespace automatically resizes content, includes breakpoints, and helps you create sites that are accessible and beautiful on a desktop computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.
What to consider when designing responsive websites
Responsive design has a wide range of benefits, including streamlining your workflow and increasing the quality of your client’s online presence. Consider the following as you design a responsive website.
A straightforward approach
Squarespace offers a straightforward approach to achieving responsive web design. The platform turns what has the potential to be an extremely complex process into an uncomplicated method of creating websites. The heavy lifting of writing custom code for each breakpoint comes out of the box and ready for you to use.
For instance, responsive design simplifies the content management process, as updates and changes only need to be made once rather than individually for each version of the website. This eliminates the need for duplicating content and ensures consistency across all devices.
Streamlined workflow
Responsive web design can considerably streamline your workflow. When creating a website for your client, you don’t have to design a different site for every device. Instead, you can create one site and Squarespace will automatically adapt text, images, videos to different screen sizes.
The following workflow is a great place to start saving time and work more efficiently with responsive design.
1. Define the goal of the website.
Before you begin designing and laying out content, you’ll want to work with your client to establish what action you want visitors to take when they land on the site. Defining the goal of the website provides a clear direction and purpose for the entire design process. It helps to align design elements, layouts, and functionalities with the intended objectives.
2. Gather your content.
The more content you have prepared or available from your client, the quicker you can design their site. This includes text, images, logos, and videos.
3. Incorporate the brand.
Maintain consistency and reinforce your client’s brand identity by adding fonts and colors that match their desired aesthetic. A cohesive visual experience that aligns with your client’s values can foster brand recognition and establish trust and confidence with visitors.
4. Design the desktop layout.
Optimize the content layout, pages, and overall design based on a popular screen size, such as a 13-inch laptop screen size. You may find that designing on this screen size is more conducive to your vision than working on the site on a large desktop monitor.
5. Design the mobile user experience.
Once you’re satisfied with how the site looks on a desktop, move on to designing the mobile user experience. Use Fluid Engine to arrange the mobile layout in a way that encourages visitors to take the desired action. Customize block sizes and the order of content, as needed. Do this for each page and section.
6. Conduct a quality check.
Always check the site on your mobile device to verify that spacing and sizing match your expectations. On desktop, you’ll want to play around with the size of the browser to test how the layout adjusts for various screen sizes.
Pro tip: Search engines often recommend a mobile-first approach to website design. While this process begins with the desktop view, you can still incorporate the mobile-first approach by keeping the goal of responsive design in mind: to give users the ability to quickly access what they are looking for and take action.
Additional pro tips for website responsiveness
When it comes to responsive web design, practice makes perfect. As you get started, the following pro tips can make a significant difference in the final outcome of your client projects. These expert insights can also help you design with confidence and deliver exceptional work.
Choosing the size to prioritize
In designing over 150 sites for clients, I’ve noted traffic often follows an 80/20 rule: 80% of traffic comes from either mobile or desktop, and 20% comes from the other category (a smaller percentage comes from tablet users).
Using Squarespace Analytics, you can see where your client’s traffic is coming from and focus your efforts on optimizing their site on screen sizes that dominate their traffic sources.
Layout considerations
Page layout contributes to the overall user experience. The following guidance can help you acclimate to Squarespace’s responsive design.
Pages and sections
Use consistent headers across different pages. For instance, if you use an image background for the header of your service page, use that same style across all your pages.
Use the same section height for each section on your website—either S, M, L, or custom.
Text, images, and videos
Use images and videos to break up text and add visual interest. If your client is lacking visual content, make use of Squarespace’s stock image integrations.
Use clear and concise language. Text should always be scannable and digestible.
If you want text to fall on two lines, adjust the text block accordingly instead of using the return key to create the space. This way, your text will look good on all screen sizes.
When creating a professional website, it's important to maintain consistency between pages and sections. The balance and visual hierarchy make the content effortless to digest.
Always check your work
Checking your work on a variety of screens is essential for providing a seamless user experience across different devices and screen sizes. Review each website on multiple screen types and sizes—laptop, large desk monitor, smartphone screen, and tablet–to identify any layout or functionality issues. From there, make improvements to optimize the website’s performance and usability for all users.
In today’s mobile-driven era, responsive website design is paramount. With a multitude of devices and screen sizes, a responsive website adapts and adjusts its layout to provide an optimal viewing experience. Squarespace ensures your client’s website is responsive, so you can focus on creating a beautiful design, reaching a wider audience, improving user experience, and boosting your client’s visibility and search engine rankings.
Want more?
Check out Squarespace Circle, Squarespace’s program for professional designers. Along with exclusive content, discounts, and other perks, Circle brings professionals together from all across the globe to exchange advice while connecting with new clients and collaborators.
